The water environment and achieving the environmental improvements

This section summarises the condition of the water environment in the Tay area, the improvements we plan to achieve and the key pressures and impacts that we need to address. Catchment profiles – giving summaries of the condition of the water environment, the improvements we plan to achieve and the key pressures and impacts that we need to address – are available on the SEPA website at the address below.

Information on the classification, objectives and measures for the Scotland river basin district, as well as detailed supplementary information on how we classify and how objectives have been set can be found in the Scotland plan.

Information on individual water bodies can be accessed through the map application on SEPA’s website.

The current condition of the water environment

The water environment includes all rivers, lochs, estuaries, coastal waters, artificial waters (such as canals and reservoirs) and groundwater. It also includes all the wetlands that depend on surface waters or groundwater for their water needs.

The environmental quality and natural characteristics of surface waters and groundwater vary widely. To reflect this variation, SEPA has subdivided these waters into 355 water bodies in the Tay area. Of these, 46 are groundwaters, 6 are coastal waters, 28 are lochs, 5 are transitional and 270 are rivers. Classifying the condition of each provides a picture of where the water environment is in good condition and where improvements need to be made.

In general, the classification of surface water bodies describes by how much their condition, or status, differs from near natural conditions. Water bodies in a near natural condition are at high ecological status. Those whose ecological quality been severely damaged are at bad ecological status.

The results for the Tay area show that 170 (48%) water bodies are at good or high ecological status and 185 (52%) are at less than good status (see Table 3 and Map 2a below).

Table 3: Condition of surface waters and groundwater in the Tay advisory group area in 2008
2008 condition	Number of water bodies
	All water bodies	Surface waters			Groundwater^[1]
	All water bodies	Natural	Heavily modified	Artificial	Groundwater^[1]
High/Maximum	38	38	0	0
Good	132	89	25	1	17
Moderate	56	43	13	0
Poor	81	38	14	0	29
Bad	48	31	17	0
Totals	355	239	69	1	46
Proportion good or better (%)	48	53	36	100	37

Sixty-nine (19%) of these surface water bodies have been substantially changed in character for important purposes such as flood protection, hydropower generation, navigation, land drainage or for drinking water supply. These are known as heavily modified water bodies. Only one surface water body is artificial^[2]; the Stormontfield Lade. The classification of heavily modified and artificial water bodies describes their ecological potential. This is a measure of the extent to which their ecological quality has been maximised, given the limits imposed by the physical modifications necessary for the water bodies' uses.

The classification of bodies of groundwater describes whether they are polluted and whether any water being abstracted significantly affects those rivers or wetlands that depend on this source of water. Only two classes are used to describe the status of groundwater – good and poor. In this area 17 (37%) of groundwaters are at good ecological status (See Map 2b below).

Map 2a: Current condition of surface and coastal water bodies in the Tay advisory group area (click for larger image)

Map 2b: Classification of groundwater bodies in the Scotland river basin district, 2008 (click for larger image)

Pressures and risks

The main reasons for not achieving good ecological status across the main catchments in the area are described as pressures. The key pressures affecting the Tay area are:

abstraction for arable farming purposes;
abstraction and flow regulation for the production of renewable energy;
alterations to beds and banks from water collection, purification and distribution, production or renewable energy, fisheries management and farming;
diffuse pollution from both farming and sewage disposal sources;
point source pollution from sewage disposal;
the risk posed by the introduction/expansion of water-related invasive non-native species (INNS).

INNS have been identified as currently having an impact on the River Earn and the South Esk. However, by recording their presence on the local level, SEPA hopes to supplement the national work currently being compiled on INNS.

The above list does not include all impacts, and there are other issues that will also need to be addressed. More detailed information on impacts in each catchment – including the water bodies affected, measures and objectives – is included in the catchment profiles and in the water body information files.

Objectives for the water environment

Over the past 20 years the water quality in the Tay area has improved. The task now is to improve the remaining failing water bodies to good ecological status or potential, either by 2015 or over the first three river basin planning cycles. The overall goal for the Scotland river basin district is for 97% of water bodies to be at good or high ecological status by 2027. In the Tay area we aim to have 338 water bodies (95%) at good or high ecological status by 2027. To achieve this, those currently at good or high ecological status will be protected from deterioration, while action will be taken to enhance and restore others. Protecting the status of a water body does not just mean preventing deterioration of their overall status. The overall status depends on the condition of the different elements (eg plant community, fish populations, water quality etc).

Restoring waters to good status will take time, so improvements have been prioritised over the three river basin planning cycles. For the small proportion of waters for which achieving good ecological status by 2027 is not feasible^[3] all reasonably achievable improvements will be made. Comprehensive reviews of progress will be undertaken during each period and will be reported in updates of this plan.

Table 4 describes how improvements to the water environment will be phased (illustrated in Map 3). The phasing has been designed so that the pace of improvement provides the time needed to develop and implement the necessary technical solutions and to make the required investments and adjustments without creating disproportionate burdens.

Table 4: Condition of water bodies throughout the river basin planning cycles in the Tay Area Advisory Group area
		Total number of water bodies	Number and proportion of water bodies at good or high ecological status (%)	Number and proportion (%) of water bodies remaining less than good by 2027
2008	2015	2021	2027
All water bodies		355	170 48%	206 58%	231 65%	338 95%	17 5%
Rivers	Natural	218	111 51%	124 57%	139 64%	206 95%	12 5%
Heavily modified	51	13 25%	17 33%	21 41%	50 98%	1 2%
Artificial	1	1 100%	1 100%	1 100%	1 100%	0
Lochs	Natural	10	6 60%	6 60%	9 90%	10 100%	0
Heavily modified	18	12 67%	14 78%	14 78%	18 100%	0
Estuaries	5	4 80%	4 80%	4 80%	4 80%	1 20%
Coastal waters	6	6 100%	6 100%	6 100%	6 100%	0
Groundwater	46	17 37%	34 74%	37 80%	43 93%	3 7%

Table 4: Condition of water bodies throughout the river basin planning cycles in the Tay Area Advisory Group area

Total number of water bodies

Number and proportion of water bodies at good or high ecological status (%)

Number and proportion (%) of water bodies remaining less than good by 2027

2008

2015

2021

2027

All water bodies

355

170

48%

206

58%

231

65%

338

95%

Rivers

Natural

218

111

51%

124

57%

139

64%

206

95%

Heavily modified

25%

33%

41%

98%

Artificial

100%

Lochs

Natural

60%

90%

100%

Heavily modified

67%

78%

100%

Estuaries

80%

20%

Coastal waters

100%

Groundwater

37%

74%

80%

93%

Lower (less stringent) objectives

For 17 water bodies in the area we believe that good ecological status cannot be achieved even by 2027. For these water bodies, we have set a lower (less stringent) objective than good ecological status. Table 5 lists these and the reasons for their less stringent objectives.

Table 5: Water bodies with less stringent objectives and reasons
Status (current and by 2027)	Water body name	Reason for less stringent objective
Moderate, remaining moderate	River South Esk (White Burn confluence to estuary)	Invasive non-native species – presence of North American signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). It is currently unfeasible to remove established populations of these crayfish, or sufficiently mitigate their impacts, in order to enable good status to be achieved.
	River South Esk (source to White Water confluence)
	Montrose Basin	Diffuse pollution. Less stringent objective set due to natural recovery time required.
Moderate ecological potential, remaining moderate ecological potential	River Earn (Loch Earn to Water of Ruchill confluence)	Invasive non-native species – presence of North American signal crayfish. It is currently unfeasible to remove established populations of these crustaceans, or sufficiently mitigate their impacts, in order to enable good status to be achieved.
Poor, improving to moderate	River South Esk (White Water to White Burn confluences)
Poor, improving to moderate	River Earn
Poor remaining poor	Allt Caillich	Barriers to fish migration.
	Abhainn Glas	Barriers to fish migration.
	Carse of Gowrie bedrock and localised sand and gravel aquifers	Presence of nitrate in groundwaters.
	Lunan/Pow bedrock and localised sand and gravel aquifers
	Brechin bedrock and localised sand and gravel aquifers
Bad remaining bad	Kinnaird Burn	Abstraction causing a change to natural flow conditions.
	Invervar Burn
	Innerhadden Burn
	Allt a Mhuic
	Keltney Burn

Water bodies where deterioration of status has been permitted

We have allowed exemptions from the objective of preventing deterioration in status for five water bodies in the Tay advisory group area, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6: Water bodies where deterioration in status has been permitted and reasons
Status (current and by 2027)	Water body name	Reason for less stringent objective
High to moderate	Kinnaird Burn	For abstraction and impoundment for hydropower to benefit sustainable development. All mitigation measures in place.
High to poor	Invervar Burn
High to poor	Innerhadden Burn
High to bad	Keltney Burn
Good to poor	Urlar Burn
Good to poor	Allt a Mhuic

Map 3: Planned improvements for surface waters, 2015–2027 (click for larger image)

Map 4: Planned improvements for groundwaters, 2015–2027 (click for larger image)

Protected area objectives

Many water bodies are also part of protected areas. As well as being required to meet good ecological status/potential, these water bodies must also help to achieve the purposes for which the protected area was established. Protected areas include waters that:

support economically important shellfish;
have been designated as bathing waters;
provide water for human consumption;
support species or habitats identified as requiring special protection under European legislation.

Many protected areas are already achieving their goals, although further environmental improvements are needed for those areas that are currently falling short. Planned improvements to these protected areas are summarised in Table 7 below, while maps showing the location of protected areas are available on SEPA’s interactive map.

Table 7: Planned improvements to protected areas in the Tay Area Advisory Group area
Protected area	Number and proportion (%)of protected areas achieving the goals for which they were established
Protected area	Total	2008	2015	2021	2027	Number and proportion not achieving goals by 2027
Bathing waters	9	9 100%	9 100%	9 100%	9 100%	0
Conservation of habitats and species (Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas) *	14	11 78%	12 86%	12 86%	13 93%	1 7%
Economically important shellfish	1	Not achieved	Not achieved	Not achieved	Achieved	0
Note to Table 7 All the water quality conditions required to support shellfish life and growth are already being achieved (mandatory standards).The projected improvements in protected areas for economically important shellfish refer to objectives for bacteria that can contaminate shellfish flesh and prevent harvested shellfish being marketed unless first treated in a purification centre (more stringent guide values). Figures are given for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Specially Protected Areas (SPAs) that have water dependant features and where these features are affected by water related pressures. It is also an overall aim to increase the proportion of bathing waters attaining good or excellent classification rather than sufficient status.

In addition:

There are currently 75 designated Drinking Water Protected Areas (which includes all 46 groundwaters) in the area. Seventy-three are meeting their current standards with none at risk of deterioration, while the River Farg and Loch of Lintrathen are currently listed as being at risk of deterioration due to pesticides from arable farming. As part of our strategy for managing diffuse pollution, measures are in place to tackle diffuse source pollution such as this.

Drinking Water Protected Areas are currently under review and any changes to designations will be reflected in updates of this plan.
A substantial section of the Tay area is designated as the Strathmore and Fife Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ). An action programme has been established, aiming to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. The action programme will be reviewed and, where necessary, revised every four years, based on assessment of its effectiveness.
There is one economically important shellfish protected area (Fife Ness to Elie) which crosses the Tay/Forth border.
There are 16 water bodies designated under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) sensitive area; the Annaty Burn, Buddon Burn, Burrelton Burn, Ceres Burn, Forfar Loch, Dighty Water, Drummond Burn, East Pow Burn, Kinness Burn, Lunan Water, Monikie Burn, Motray Water, North Esk, South Esk and the Dean Water. The directive sets a timescale for the appropriate treatment for sewage discharges which, for example, would require secondary treatment for all sizeable communities unless the discharge is to highly dispersive receiving waters. It also specifies quite demanding regulation in terms of sampling and analysis.

Further information

The nine EC designated bathing waters in the Tay area are: St Andrews East Sands, St Andrews West Sands, Broughty Ferry, Carnoustie, Arbroath (West Links), Kingsbarns, Montrose, Lunan Bay and Tentsmuir Sands.

There are six Special Protection Areas; Montrose Basin, Loch of Kinnordy, Loch of Lintrathen, Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary, Cameron Reservoir and Forest of Clunie.

There are eight Special Areas of Conservation; Dunkeld – Blairgowrie Lochs, Ben Lawers, Barry Links, the South Esk, Shingle Islands, Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary, River Tay and Rannoch Moor (cross border with Argyll). Barry Links is the only SAC likely to be in an unfavourable condition in 2027. This is due to a combination of morphological and unknown pressures so it is not yet feasible to identify required actions until these factors are fully understood.

There are 13 freshwater fish protected areas (defined areas designated for the protection of economically viable freshwater fisheries, specifically salmonids): River Tay, Barry Burn, Brothock Water, Dighty Water, River Eden, Elliot Water, Kenly Water, Kinness Burn, Lunan Water, Monikie Burn, Motray Water, and the North and South Esks.

Bodies of groundwater are classed as either of good status or poor status.
Artificial water bodies are man-made water bodies, such as many canals.
These waters include water bodies that are recovering from acidification